Living in Australia

Australia is a great country in which to live, work and train.
Australia is a vast country with a natural environment that is varied and beautiful and a climate that spans tropical through to alpine. It is home to a diverse population with almost a third of the population born overseas and 23 percent speaking a language other than English at home. 

Australia is also home to the world’s oldest living culture – First Nations peoples have been living in Australia for at least 65,000 years.

Australian cities and towns have some of the lowest crime rates in the world. The quality of education, healthcare, transport, infrastructure and government services in Australia are all above international averages.

For more information on life in Australia, visit Study Australia (although this website is designed for international students, it contains a lot of useful information on living in Australia).

Language barriers

Although proficient in English, many IMGs comment that there is still a lot of Australian slang, colloquialisms and sayings that they do not understand.

One of the best ways to learn is from your patients – if they say something you do not understand, it is ok to ask.

Another way to learn is to watch Australian TV shows, listen to Australian radio and generally expose yourself to as many sources of Australian language as possible.

It is important to recognise that Australia is a multicultural country with people from many different cultural, ethnic and language groups. IMGs are often lucky to be able to speak multiple languages, but it is still possible to see a patient who does not speak English, or any other language that you speak.

The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) is an interpreting service provided by the Department of Home Affairs for people with limited English proficiency and for agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients.

Speak to your practice manager if you require their services – many practices will have an account already set up with TIS National.

Useful links
  • Doctors Speak Up (while the videos no longer work, this website has many useful activities and resources to practice language and communication skills for IMGs).